The charred remains of a woman were discovered not far from where a Riverside County sheriff's deputy fatally shot an ax-wielding man over the weekend, authorities say.

Cal Fire firefighters found the female body at about 5 p.m. Sunday in the area of Lincoln Street and Avenue 66 in Mecca, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. They were extinguishing smoldering debris from a fire that burned earlier in the day and found the woman within the charred area.

Her name and cause of death haven't been identified and investigators are trying to determine if she's related to the man who was fatally shot hours earlier.

The shooting happened about 3:30 a.m. after sheriff's deputies, firefighters and California Highway Patrol officers encountered a man who was armed with an ax but would not cooperate with authorities, according to the sheriff's department.

A sheriff's deputy opened fire on the man. Paramedics rushed him to a local hospital, where he later died.

His name has not been released.

The sheriff's deputy was placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.